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Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In a bit of a surprise, Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin announced that he will seek re-election to the U.S. House, and skip Maryland’s open U.S. Senate race next year.
* Rep. Grace Napolitano announced over the weekend that she will retire at the end of the current session, wrapping a quarter of a century on Capitol Hill. Born in 1936, Napolitano is currently the U.S. House’s oldest member.
* It took a while to settle on a date, but the Iowa Republican Party will hold its presidential caucuses on Jan. 15, 2024. It’ll be the earliest date since 2012, when the caucuses were held on Jan. 3.
* In Michigan, Democratic hopes of avoiding a crowded U.S. Senate primary have been dashed: While several party leaders rallied behind Rep. Elissa Slotkin, she’s facing a growing field of primary rivals. This morning, actor Hill Harper, perhaps best known for roles in “CSI: NY” and “The Good Doctor,” launched his statewide bid. This is Hill’s first attempt at elected office.
* In Nevada, retired U.S. Army Capt. Sam Brown is running for the U.S. Senate again, hoping to take on incumbent Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen. Brown, who lost in a GOP Senate primary last year, was encouraged to run by party leaders.
* Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appeared on Fox News yesterday morning and suggested that independent news organizations are conspiring against him in the hopes of helping President Joe Biden. In the same interview, the Republican presidential candidate went on to suggest that Trump administration officials “colluded” with tech companies in 2020 to the detriment of the Trump campaign.
* And speaking of the former president, Donald Trump published a missive to his social media platform last week, claiming that Fox News is deliberately promoting “phony” polling data in the hopes of helping DeSantis. He added, “Fake Polls equal Fake News!”